"Unacceptable weakening" of Royal Navy addressed as "world class" in-build Type 26s could go to Norway

Baroness Goldie, Conservative, said in the House of Lords on February 9 that the Royal Navy should not be weakened further. This comes after recent government discussions of passing on British build slots for Type 26 frigates to the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Baroness Goldie said there is concern about the overall health of the force following reports of transferring these in-build ships. “This will leave us dependent on elderly Type 23 frigates,” she added. “Will the minister confirm that the Type 26 build will continue as originally scheduled to avoid unacceptable weakening of our Royal Navy capability?"

The challenge comes as the frigate force continues to shrink. Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond is projected to be decommissioned following a parade earlier in January. HMS Lancaster was retired in December 2025 after nearly 30 years of service. If HMS Richmond is retired, it will bring the frigate force down to six.

Despite the declining numbers, Lord Gerard Lemos, Labour, said the fleet is meeting its targets. “The Royal Navy’s readiness performance in 2025 reflects both strong operational in key categories and predictable reductions linked to planned maintenance cycles and unplanned defects,” he added.

“There has been a great deal of work done to ensure the efficient management of the forces in the Royal Navy. The government is doing a lot to address the capacity of the Royal Navy overall. It’s absolutely crucial that we work closely with Norway for the procurement of the Type 26 frigates, and the sequencing of that will be part of ensuring security within the High North.”

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The UK ordered eight submarine-hunting Type 26 frigates, currently being built by BAE Systems in Scotland. These City-class ships will also be used for general purpose operations and offers air defence capabilities.

Personnel will predominantly utilise them in the North Atlantic and High North alongside autonomous vessels and submersibles. As part of the Lunna House agreement, the UK and Norway will conduct joint patrols to protect the area from Russian submarines, all while keeping a close eye on undersea cables.

Transferring in-build ships to Norway, originally allocated for the Royal Navy, would allow the Scandinavian nation to meet its timeline of the first vessel being in service by 2029. Minister for defence industry and readiness, Luke Pollard, previously insisted that all eight ships will be delivered, and will be in the fleet from the late 2020s and during the 2030s.

The first, HMS Glasgow, had her engines tested in a milestone operation in January.